Under the Radar

Blog Roll

IG: Marshals spent nearly $800K on swag over 6 years

By Tal Kopan

11/05/13 09:57 AM EST

A division of the U.S. Marshals Service spent nearly $800,000 on promotional items, also known as "swag," in a six-year span, an inspector general's report found, including spending on agency-branded silk scarves, ties, lapel pins and blankets.

The IG began its investigation after an anonymous letter in 2010 alleged excessive spending, including buying 400-500 silk ties and 200 hand-embroidered pillows.

In fact, the Investigative Operations Division of the Marshals Service spent $793,118 from 2005 to 2010, with spending increasing 975 percent in that time, the IG report found. Purchases included $155,081 spent on challenge coins, $90,958 on drinkware, $11,338 on custom branded ties and silk scarves, $13,605 on branded Christmas ornaments, $16,084 on custom blankets and $36,596 on lapel pins. The agency also spent nearly $5,000 on retirement gifts for managers, including special crystal statues and plaques.

In 2010, agency spending on such trinkets was more than $1,000 per employee.

Most of the items were used to boost goodwill with other agencies and foreign dignitaries or as rewards for employees to boost morale. Some of the coins were designed to make people aware the Sex Offender Investigation Branch can assist local law enforcement with unregistered sex offenders, but they did not provide enough information about the agency's activities to qualify as a necessary expense, the IG concluded.

While none of the expenses violated specific policies, the IG said, they did not seem to be necessary expenses.

In 2011, President Barack Obama signed an executive order prohibiting government agencies from spending taxpayer funds on swag, and earlier that year the attorney general urged Justice Department divisions to reduce spending to mission-essential needs, prompting the Marshals Service to issue new policies on promotional items.

The inspector general said the new policies were an improvement in reducing unnecessary expenses, but they are still less restrictive than the Justice Department and Government Accountability Office guidelines. The report recommended the agency update its policies to not allow swag as rewards to employees or to foster goodwill with other agencies.